Summer Internship and Research Project Funding

Congratulations on identifying and exploring funding opportunities during the 2018 fellowship and funding cycle. Notifications regarding funding allocations will begin to go out on or after April 12th, 2018.

Non-U.S. citizens fellowship awards and grants that are not for tuition and required fees, for research/study in the U.S., are subject to 14% federal tax withholding (nonresident alien for tax purposes under F or J visa status), unless a tax treaty applies and reported on Form 1042-s at year end. If the research/study is conducted outside the U.S., there is no tax withholding or reporting requirement.
Please contact Daysi Cardona, International Tax Coordinator, with questions at daysi.cardona@yale.edu.

A comprehensive, searchable list of student grants and fellowships funded and/or administered by Yale. Most of these are available from Yale's schools, departments, programs and councils and are open only to Yale students, while others are national competitions to which Yale nominates candidates. For more information, please visit the Yale Student Grants and Fellowships Database. Deadlines to apply vary based on the award/fellowship process.

Yale F&ES Summer Fund

The Yale F&ES Summer Fund provides fellowship awards to Yale F&ES students to support their required (F&ES 006) summer experience. These fellowships are made possible by a handful of Donors (listed below) and are administered through a Yale F&ES Committee consisting of faculty and staff. Students can apply for support through the Yale Student Grants Database.

The 2019 deadline to apply is Monday, April 1st at midnight.

Late applications will not be considered. Fellowship awards range from $400 - $5,000, depending on the location of the project and the student's need.

F&ES General Fund
Purpose: To support independent research that has been approved by a faculty adviser, or an internship with an organization that provides little or no funding.

Ackerman Fund
Purpose: To support students interested in conservation work with a preference given to organizations such as The Nature Conservancy.

Jubitz Family Endowment for Research Internships Fund
Purpose: To support research in the study of forest ecosystem stewardship in Coastal (or West Side) Forests in Oregon, Washington, Southeastern Alaska, Western Canada and Siberia. Special projects emphasizing the link between science and the legislative process shall be given special preference.

Edward C. Armbrecht Jr. Family Fund
Purpose: To support students as they prepare to become leaders in sustainable forestry, natural resource management and environmental studies, with a non-binding preference for students with an interest in environmental and forest management leadership in West Virginia.

Williams Internships Fund
Purpose: To support students in their research with a preference for work with The Nature Conservancy and equivalent environmental NGOs.

Yale Wildlife and Wildlands Funds
Purpose: To support is available for not only the remote and wilderness areas of the West, but also the backcountry of the East which is under such formidable pressure for use and development.

Berkley Conservation Scholars

Funding is provided to Yale F&ES students with a focus in engaging new communities in conservation; expanding the conservation toolkit; and ensuring the permanence of conservation gains. Preferred locations in U.S. land conservation organizations.

The average award is $6,000 and up to 7 students may be awarded. The award process is managed by Professor Brad Gentry and the Career Development Office. Please download the Berkley Scholars Internship Award Application and submit it to Maya Polan no later than Wednesday, March 20th at 5PM.Late applications will not be considered.

Cameron Speth Fellowships

The Cameron Speth Fellowship provides funding for students from developing nations and Japan to carry out summer internships at the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and the World Resources Institute (WRI), two institutions founded by former F&ES Dean Gus Speth. Speth received the Blue Planet Prize from the Asahi Glass Foundation of Japan in 2002 and donated part of his award to the NRDC and WRI in honor of his wife, Cameron. One student at each organization will be awarded a fellowship for a 10 to 12 week internship over the summer. Fellowship award amounts are determined by and paid by each host organization.

Candidate eligibility and selection criteria:

Master's degree students are to come from developing countries or Japan.

Likely to contribute to environmental policy and program development in developing countries, and (have the) potential to reach others through future teaching and research, or as policymakers and/or program managers.

See job postings in FES Next for more information on how to apply for the Speth Fellowship.

Carpenter/Sperry Fund

Funding is provided as matching funds (up to $2,000) to F&ES students to support internships and research projects, normally during the summer period. Smaller amounts (up to $1000) are available to seed new research, or to help students complete, or present a research project (e.g., a conference poster or a publication). Up to 40 awards are given each year. Support is generally not given to attend a conference.

Edna Bailey Sussman Fellowship Program

Funding is provided to F&ES students completing a summer internship at a U.S based charitable organization, business corporation, and governmental agencies at the federal, state, and local levels with a preferred focus in preservation of natural land resources, preservatin of wildlife, the control of pollution, or like subject matter.

The internship must adhere to the following requirements -

The intern will not be utilized in sales, production, or any other capacity not directly related to the environment

The intern will not act as a lobbyist, nor will the host organization be one whose primary function is to lobby

The internship will occur in the U.S., Sussman will not fund internships outside of the U.S.

The Edna Bailey Sussman Trustees review applications and award students by mid-March. Generally, a total of 4 awards will be given to F&ES students. Awards range anywhere from $4000-$6000.

Garden Club of New Haven Intern/Researcher

The Garden Club of New Haven is supporting one summer internship or a place-based research project for a Yale F&ES graduate student. The requirements would be that they live in New Haven in the summer and have a New Haven-based project. The internship/research project must promote at least one of the Garden Club’s goals: “to create interest in and promote knowledge of gardening, preservation of natural resources and civic horticultural work in the GNH area.”

The Garden Club‘s interest areas are not limited to horticultural projects, but include many civic projects such as planting trees on the New Haven Green, an award-winning pamphlet on managing rainwater, and advocacy around utility tree pruning. The Garden Club will prioritize an internship/project concerning the education of school-aged children about environmental issues, but will review all applications whose project will be based in Greater New Haven during the summer. The funding for a 10-week summer internship/research project would be $3500. A short report and a presentation to the Garden Club will be required in the fall.

Applicants should submit a resume, a 1 – 3 page double-spaced project proposal, and evidence of organizational affiliation (a screenshot of an email, as an example) to Maya Polan at maya.polan@yale.edu no later than 5PM on Wednesday, March 20th.

Hixon Center for Urban Ecology Student Research Fellows

The Hixon Center offers funding to F&ES students that have a preferred focus in natural and social science research, education, & outreach projects on urban ecosystem restoration, urban forestry, and project related to pollution of air, water and soil in urban areas. Domestic is preferred.

Awards range from $5,000.00 - $7,000.00 and up to 7 awards are given. The process is managed by Colleen Murphy-Dunnin. For more information, please click HERE. 2019 deadline TBD

Moran Fellowship

The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and the Yale Environmental Protection Clinic jointly organize the Moran Environmental Fellowship. The Fellowship supports a paid summer internship with the NRDC and is open to students at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. This fellowship funds summer work across NRDC. Students should reach out to NRDC staff directly to seek out and apply for positions and apply for this Fellowship when a position is secured.

One award is given with an average award amount being $6,000. The deadline to apply is Monday, April 1st at midnight. Students can apply through the Yale Student Grants Database starting January 5, 2019.

MacMillan Center for International and Area Studies at Yale

The MacMillan Center's Fellowship, grant and award opportunities are available to Yale graduate students and are grouped by eligibility as follows: Yale Graduate and Professional Students, Yale Undergraduate Students, Journalism Awards.

Rosemary Ripley Family Fund

PURPOSE: The Rosemary Ripley Family Fund Internship promotes both business and conservation goals by enabling one or more Yale graduate and professional students to engage in a summer internship after their first year of study at Yale. Applications will be submitted in proposal form and may range widely in terms of purpose, place, and process by which the effort will move forward. Besides the general requirement to incorporate business and conservation/environment elements, these internships must also have a clear international component, i.e. conducting study in another country, with a preferable focus on emerging markets.

ELIGIBILITY: Any Yale graduate and/or professional student having at least one year of course work yet to complete. Open to all students, with preference given to students from emerging nations who wish to eventually return to their home countries for work.

AMOUNT OF AWARD: Up to two grants of $5,000 each to support a summer internship. These funds can be used for travel, living, research, or other purposes associated with the proposed project. Under the terms of the award, the recipient will initially receive $4,000. Once the post-project requirements are met (see below), the student will receive the balance of the grant ($1,000).

HOW TO APPLY: Submit your proposal to Maya Polan (maya.polan@yale.edu) by midnight on Monday, April 1st, 2019.

Tropical Resources Institute Endowment Fellowship

TRI's Endowed Fellowship Program provides funding for currently enrolled F&ES masters and doctoral students to conduct research in tropical countries. These projects are interdisciplinary in nature and cover a wide range of issues that surround the study, management, and conservation of tropical resources. TRI supports both natural and social science research projects.

Awards range from $2,000 to $5,000 and approx. 20-30 awards are granted each cycle. The award process is managed by Simon Queenborough. 2019 deadline TBD

Additional fellowships are available that are dedicated to particular tropical regions. For more information go to the TRI Fellowships webpage.

Urban Resources Initiative Internships

URI offers paid Greenspace and GreenSkills internships for graduate students at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, as well as for New Haven high school students and ex-offenders. Enriched through group discussion, these community forestry internships provide job training and real-world practice while making positive changes in New Haven communities.

Ucross Western Research Fellowship

The Ucross High Plains Stewardship Initiative (UHPSI) invites students to apply for research fellowships for the summer field season. The Western Research Fellowship (WRF) seeks applicants interested in issues pertinent to land management in the Rocky Mountain West. Ideal proposals will target high-impact biophysical or social questions with management implications for private land management in the West. In addition to a generous financial award, fellows will be given access to a broad network of partner organizations and properties across the mountain west, as well as technical, logistical, and publication support.

WRF awards range from $2,000 to $6,000. Fellows also receive a stipend covering attendance at the WRF summer retreat. Applicants are encouraged to apply for matching funds from other sources at Yale. In additional to financial support, fellows receive technical, logistical, and publication support throughout the field season and academic year.

Application materials can be found at the High Plains Stewardship webpage.

WWF-Yale Asia Pacific Fellowships

The WWF Asia Pacific Growth Strategy and CBEY are inviting interested students to apply for the WWF-Yale Asia Pacific Fellowships.

The Yale-WWF Fellowship program aims to enhance education and practical experience on strategic corporate-NGO engagement to address the challenges of global sustainability.

This year’s Fellowships are an expansion of the 2014-2017 Summer Associates Program, which saw seven Yale graduate students work on a variety of corporate partnership research, strategy and implementation requirements in WWF offices in Australia, China, South Korea, Singapore and Vietnam.

There is ONE Fellowship requiring ten-twelve weeks of in-country work in a WWF office in Asia Pacific. The Fellowship is fully funded, covering return flights, living expenses while in country and participation in a pre-placement training program in Singapore (or via online sessions).

For information please log into F&ES Next and search under F&ES Jobs for WWF opportunities.

The Wyss Conservation Scholarship Program

Funding is provided to F&ES plus Yale “at-large” graduate students that have a preferred focus in land conservation in the following locations: Intermountain West; Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming, and Oregon.

Please contact Lisa Bassani in Development and Alumni Relations for more information.

Yale Sustainable Food Program's Fellowship

With generous support from Yale Alumni, the Yale Sustainable Food Program’s Global Food Fellowship supports the extracurricular study of food systems. Interested students should propose a plan of study, research or internship project which is innovative, pursuing ideas that could overturn the ecological, social, and economic deficiencies of today’s predominant food system. Priority will be given to projects which:

Engage with a non-Yale community partner, and works with them to ensure the project meets an identified need;

Allow opportunity for hands-on practice, actively working to establish or operate a sustainable food enterprise;

Could support a long-term sustainable food career goal; or

Connect with a curricular interest at Yale

Fellows will have access to YSFP’s staff and resources, but will primarily be self-directed. Social Media progress reports will be due for public posting throughout the summer months. A final deliverable will be discussed and assigned with Awardees on a case-by-case basis. Awards generally range from $500 to $3,000.

To apply: Fellowship applications are welcomed from all Yale undergraduate and graduate students, including graduating seniors. To be considered, please apply through Yale’s Center for International and Professional Experiences’s Student Grants Database. 2019 deadline TBD.